Great Lakes
Economic Initiative




Policy Development Initiatives Underway


The framing report The Vital Center: A Federal-State Compact to Renew the Great Lakes Region describes many areas of economic opportunity-state, regional and national "win-wins" for consolidating economic advantage in the Great Lakes region. Now, in the initiative's second phase, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings is commissioning further research to develop specific actionable policy proposals. We are tapping experts from the strong network of regional/national institutions, firms, organizations and stakeholders.

The follow-on studies will translate the Vital Center recommendations into:
  • State and federal legislation;
  • Specific policy actions and agreements forged by the region’s governors (and their Canadian counterparts) for current and future U.S. Administration; and
  • Actions that can be taken by the region’s education/higher education, business, and civic institutions and organizations.
In some cases we will also conduct research to strengthen the case for certain Vital Center recommendations.

Products and initiatives already under way or under development include the following:

Current:

Healthy Waters, Strong Economy: Economic Impact Analysis of follow-through on Great Lakes Restoration Compact
In partnership with The Council of Great Lakes Industrial, a team of premier economists assessed the economic impact of following through on the Great Lakes Restoration Compact, a state-federal $20 billion plan to clean up the Great Lakes.

The study, released on September 5, 2007 in Chicago, was led by Brookings' Bob Litan and the University of Michigan's Paul Courant, joined by former Federal Reserve Board of Governors member Ned Gramlich and a distinguished group of project advisors. It measures the total economic benefits of improved Great Lakes water quality and natural amenities, in terms of tourism/recreation, water-based housing and commercial development, and the economic payoffs of being a place that offers an attractive lifestyle to today's knowledge workers. This economic cost-benefit analysis makes a strong and compelling economic argument for pursuing the strategies and policies articulated in the Vital Center to "build-out" the North Coast as an economic engine, and to follow through on the $20 billion Great Lakes cleanup. In response the Midwest Governors, and Great Lakes Congressional delegation have asked Presidential candidates to "take a pledge" to follow-through on Great Lakes restoration. To date, Senators McCain, Obama and Clinton have signed a pledge.


Bi-National Great Lakes Economic Analysis and Policy Recommendations
The Canadian Government (the Provinces of Quebec and Canada and the Canadian Foreign Ministry and International Trade) has contracted with Brookings to develop a revised Vital Center report and dissemination materials. The revised document will reflect the true economic integration of the region (including Ontario and Quebec) and a shared U.S.-Canadian economic strategy for the Great Lakes region. This report will be released in March, 2008 to the public at events in major metros in the US and Canada.

Upcoming:

Positioning the Great Lakes Region as a Global Center-point for Freshwater Research, Education, and Technology Development
Limited freshwater resources have become a major concern for the nation and the world. Many fast-growing regions of the US face severe freshwater shortages. And the efficient use of water (for heating, cooling, sanitation, and to nurture life) is a focus of serious attention amid growing awareness of global climate change.

Great Lakes freshwater researchers and firms are conducting an 8-month process to develop a regional/national public policy and program blueprint for freshwater technology development in the Great Lakes region. The effort is being led by the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Water Resources program, in conjunction with regional researchers and business interests representing the nation's leading cluster of private water technology firms.

The resulting blueprint will make recommendations for public policy, clean water technology development, and public and private programs and practices that promote smart water use and conservation. It will be published in cooperation with the Great Lakes Economic Initiative as a guide for local, state and federal policy and government/private industry practice essential for national competitiveness.

Target Date for Release: October 2008


Design of a Great Lakes Regional Venture Capital Strategy
This will be a practical program for how the Great Lakes region can enhance venture capital and other capital sources to support commercialization and new business development at the broad Great Lakes-wide, state, and/or metropolitan regional level. Frank Samuel, former Science Advisor to Ohio Governor Robert Taft and architect of Ohio's "third frontier" initiatives, is heading a team of regional venture and commercialization experts in developing a business plan to enhance venture funding and capital in the region.

Target date for release: Summer, 2008


Federal R&D Strategy for National/Great Lakes Benefit
A priority for further policy development is to work with universities and other partners in the region to develop and support a specific federal R&D strategy as suggested in the Vital Center's "emerging economy" recommendations. The latter are focused on doing the basic and applied research and development of tomorrow's technologies and industries (including to achieve energy independence), leveraging the research infrastructure of the Great Lakes Region. A team of leading researchers, including former University of Michigan President Jim Duderstadt, has been assembled to conduct the analysis. Their paper will describe a federal energy R&D strategy for the nation that also supports the region's economy.

Target date for release: Fall, 2008

Promise of Prosperity
A New American Community Compact
for Economic Renewal and Education Attainment
Design of a new federal-state-local (modeled on the Kalamazoo Promise), a financial guarantee of postsecondary education (modeled on the Kalamazoo Promise), which is also serving as a powerful urban community revitalization effort.

In the coming 5 months, in conjunction with the Brooking's Blueprint for American Prosperity initiative, a team of local and regionally based education, economic development, research and policy leaders, will develop a detailed program for how federal policy could facilitate the development of an innovative demonstration initiative for a community higher education financial guarantee for graduating students, to operate in a number of America's communities.

The project team includes some of the architects of the Kalamazoo Promise, as well as those involved with its replication nation-wide design and delivery of education innovations, (including the Kalamazoo Promise), and with involvement of the WE UpJohn Institute it also captures the preliminary research base and insight into the impact of the Kalamazoo promise as a guide for program design.

The team will collaborate on a federal policy proposal that will catalyze the development of Promise-based Compacts across the country.

Target date for release: Summer, 2008


Great Lakes Economic Initiative – Great Lakes Urban Enterprise Network
Attracting and keeping young educated, talent is increasingly understood to be a lynchpin of economic vitality . A central challenge in most of the Great Lakes region is the "brain-drain" of young, educated talent to more dynamic metropolitan communities. A major economic opportunity for the region is to build on the unique economic assets, and cultivate other attributes essential to keep and attract young talent - within the historic network of older industrial cities that are the pillars of the region's economy.

As part of the GLEI's network building a network of young leaders from Great Lakes urban communities is being organized. This network is designed specifically to better understand, document and articulate the particular attributes of Great Lakes urban communities that inform the decisions of the region's young talent in terms of where they choose to live and work. The network will also communicate and shape public and policy-political leadership understanding of the public policies, community values, and other attributes that can make Great Lakes urban communities attractive to today's young talent.

Central to the initiative will be the development and use of new media tools, and creation of a web-based documentary and ideas common - to both engage and link young leadership in the region, and inform the public dialogue concerning what matters, and what can be done to help Great Lakes urban communities retain and attract young talent.

Launch: Fall, 2008

Additional areas of potential policy development:
  • North Coast Economic Development plan
  • State-Regional portable pensions (universal retirement programs) and health care schemes
  • Common Market for Human Capital